Upward vs Warm Stone
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Upward reads as blue, while Warm Stone reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Upward (LRV 57) reflects noticeably more light than Warm Stone (LRV 20), a difference of 37 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Upward runs cool while Warm Stone is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 31.9, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Upward vs Warm Stone in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Upward and Warm Stone in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Upward will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Warm Stone would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Warm Stone.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Warm Stone.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Warm Stone.
Color Details
Upward vs Warm Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Upward on one side and Warm Stone on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Upward comparisons
See how Upward stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 57), opening up a space where Upward encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (57 vs 52) makes Upward the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 30, Upward is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 58 and 57, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Upward reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 57 vs 43, Upward is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 57 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Upward reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 57, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 57), opening up a space where Upward encloses it.
Upward reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Upward reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Upward reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 57 vs 31, Upward is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 7, Upward is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 24, Upward is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 57 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.